Is it safe to come out?

A new day has dawned; the holidays are over!!! The new year is within eye-shot! Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the Christmas spirit eluded me this year. I gave an honest try, baking somewhere around 300 cookies last week, but my steam sputtered out early to until I didn't even have the energy to go to Midnight Mass at the cathedral 5 blocks from my house. Sorry, God, but between not being able to afford Christmas presents, getting a heating bill for twice my average amount due to the recent cold snap, and being too broke to get home for Christmas, I'm inclined to convert to Judaism just to avoid ever having to deal with this crappy holiday again. Blah.

So let's just pretend the last month didn't happen, shall we? Yes. Looking ahead with slightly more optimism, we can convince ourselves that an arbitrary change from 8 to 9 does actually reset the clock to a brighter tomorrow. If nothing else, it's one number closer 2012, to which I say, "Bring it on."

Now, I normally boycott New Year's resolutions on account of my irritation with putting any special significance for life changing decisions on any particular, arbitrary day. However, this year I have decided to partake in this cultural phenomenon. I resolve to seriously reduce my environmental impact, questioning every decision in terms of what's best for the environment. I've always been militant about recycling and only eating organic/free range (my mom totally did it before it was cool), but there are so many more ways I can do better. This line of thinking was sparked by my future mom-in-law giving me one of those super hip metal water bottles, easily my favorite present this year. I was so excited, because oh my god, I have an easy alternative to plastic water bottles now, yay! Even though I always recycle them, this is even better! Now, what else can I do? Well here's a list of things I vow to attempt:

• Completely turn off and unplug everything in my apartment for at least 2 hours every day
• Insulate my windows to cut down on heating use (and cost, double win!)
  
• Get off my ass and go to the farmer's market every Saturday for local produce
• Invest in a Diva Cup to minimize my monthly gift's impact
• Utilize candle light
  
• Watch less TV
• Turn off my computer at night
• Patronize enivronmentally conscious stores
• Sacrifice my individually wrapped string cheese sticks
• Cut down, if not completely eliminate, my sushi consumption
  
• And finally, the hardest one of all, ween myself off smooth, hairless gams
  

Alright, here's hoping for a better, greener and more gainfully employed year for all.

Good riddance 2008, you lousy bastard. 2009, I welcome you with green, open arms!

Impromtu Video Game Review

Have you guys played Little Big Planet yet? It's one of the most challenging games I've played in a while, but also the most rewarding I've played possibly ever. You're a cute little sack poppet running around solving puzzles and trying not to explode in weird little worlds with gorgeous graphics and innovative physics concepts. Even the credits portion is pleasing to the eye. It's beautiful, stimulating, sciency and non-violent all at the same time! Squee!



With all of this weird, chilly weather hitting the bay area, you better believe I'm spending my days curled up on the couch with hot chocolate playing levels of Little Big Planet in between job applications. It's supposed to get down to 33 degrees tonight and it might even snow, which makes kind of happy because it's more like home, but it also makes me really sad for the homeless tonight. The wind coming off the water is bitter cold. Maybe I'll find a soup kitchen that needs a volunteer, because in these sad economic times, we all need to come together and do what we can for each other. Stay warm out there.

Yay Rain!

I think the rainy season finally hit the Bay Area and it's beautiful! It's not snow, but I'll take it. The clouds, I should have taken pictures earlier. Ah well, I am a sad waste of a photojournalism degree. Next time maybe I won't suck and I'll remember to take pictures. Speaking of a sad waste, I'm still unemployed. Oh boy! I graduated a year ago, I've put in hundreds of job applications and STILL haven't gotten an interview call yet. Ha! I feel like such a winner! (A winner is me?) Boo. I'm so broke in fact that I've had to stop spending as much time as I'd like on Etsy and Boing Boing, because they keep showing me the perfect gifts I can't afford to get my loved ones. Thanks guys.

I know I'm in good company though. While yet another Wall Street scandal has hit the presses, the Detroit papers have decided to stop home delivery, California's Republicans are calling for mass layoffs, and even the Gawker affiliates are having to cut back staff and hours, it's not feeling much like Christmas. I've canceled all of the holiday movies from my Netflix queue and I'm inclined to just take down all what little decor I've put up and call it a year. As a state and a country, we are fucked and we're going to continue feeling the drippy, stretched-out, sore orifice of said fucking for quite some time, probably still long after Obama takes office. While I'm looking forward to January 20th as much as any raging liberal, it's going to be long time before Obama will be able to implement his proposed changes in a way that you and I can actually feel.

Sorry for the downer post. Maybe it's the weather; maybe it's the bourbon-spiked eggnog, but I'm cranky and contemplative tonight, so this is it, my triumphant return to news analysis. But just because you all know that I hate to end on a sour note, I give to you the most pleasing intensely NSFW photo gallery I've seen in a long time. Maybe the best things in life really are free.

Sorry Guiz

So, I realize I completely disappeared for a while and I apologize for that. I really couldn't handle the weight of the world for a long time, but I'm back now. I'm STILL unemployed, so I really just don't know what to do next or where I will find myself, but I do know that I need to come back here and write and analyze the news or I'll go crazy again.

Be on the look out. I'm back bishezzzzz!